Puppy Survival Thread - as we approach Fireworks night for the first time…

[Riverlee]

Apologies if someone has already started a new thread. Couldn’t see one when I had a quick look.

As it’s a new thread, why don’t we all (re-) introduce ourselves. Ie. Good excuse for more cute puppy pictures!

I have RiverPup, who is now a 15 weeks old black Labrador.

Two pictures of when we first got him, and more recent.

Need some reassurance! Went to 3rd session of bronze training today with Sunpup and he was an absolute knobhead. All the other dogs sitting calmly. He's just whining, pulling to get to them, generally being a pillock. He can do the exercises if there's no distractions but all he's interested in is stealing other dogs food and playing with them. I know he's a baby but my previous lab was so biddable and I guess I thought he'd be like that to. Working lab supposedly easier to train! Wondering if I should bother anymore.

Highlandpup is very similar at puppy training! Just loves other dogs and wants to jump all over them. Also good at the tasks when we can get him to focus as chicken is more interesting than anything.

It doesn't help that the barriers separating the puppies are made of flimsy cardboard so trying to jump and knock them down is an extra bit of fun ...

@Sunflowers765 I can't comment on puppy training yet. But I do recall one of our westies as a kid been the naughty dog who just wanted to play! I imagine the trainer is very use to it. We start next puppy classes next weekend. Orangepup LOVES people and other dogs so likely to be similar but she's a very greedy pup so may be able to work with her treats! We shall see!

I like the look of the toppl, we only have a small kong and getting too small now so was going to get a medium one but I like the look of these more so may take the splurge!

@Sunflowers765 i thought it was show lines that were easier to train?! I’m a total newbie though

thinking of getting a toppl too although we have a bowl lucky mat I now out Haku’s dinner in (mashed up kibble with bits of tasty stuff like sardines, apple, blueberries etc then frozen) supposedly harder because they wobble but he quickly worked out how to wedge his so it doesn’t move!

I also need to get the much bigger kong, his tongue is far too big for the one we have

our current problem is barking in the night. He usually wakes once at some point and barks for us to come to him, having sought some advice on a GR specific group we’re trying giving him a little something before bed in case it’s hunger (it def started when I started being better about weighing out his food etc), leaving on low classical music to cover any outside noises and only going in to say night night Haku and then leaving with no eye contact or touch. Wish me luck, I’m dying of sleep deprivation!

Coco is rubbish in puppy class - far too interested in the other dogs. She’s much better with a 1 on 1 trainer - we had a session today on recall which was brilliant and totally exhausted her (she refused her lunch and went for a 2 hour nap instead). I think it’s age - remember they are still puppies and nothing is more interesting than play at that age.

I didn't even attempt puppy classes - the thought of everyone witnessing my fluffy bundle being a hot mess wanting to play with everyone was not a pleasant one. We went for 1:1 sessions!
Luckily my goldie is not much of a barker. Her crate is in the middle of the house so I don't think she'd be disturbed by noises or light. I do give her snacks before settling for the night. I now bake the sardine snacks that @GuyFawkesDay mentioned on another thread. Tiny and relatively low calorie - would highly recommend them!

Lovely to ‘meet’ all the new puppies.

Had a one-to-one session tonight. Good news, trainer says he knows all the commands - heel, sit, etc. Bad news - he was in full, disobedient mode and not listening to a thing I said.

I thing that worked for me was buying a Bamboodle, and squashing cheese onto it. After he has eaten the cheese, he likes chewing the bone.

Thanks all, I'm glad it's not just Sunpup who's rubbish in class! My previous show lab cruised through to KC gold by 14 months old, but she wasn't fussed on other dogs and was so biddable! My Sunpup ( working FRL ) is equally obsessed with dogs and any tiny remnants of food on the floor they may have left, and acts like bloody Zebedee to get to them. I just remember being smug best in class before! It's disheartening to be worst in class. Maybe I shouldn't have been smug before and Sunpup is karma!! Still love him though 😍

This sounds exhausting @Citygirlrurallife - remember this too is just a phase and it will pass.

coco is back to being fussy with her food - missed lunch and refused dinner last night. I wasn’t too worried about lunch as she’s eaten tonnes of kibble and treats in training but dinner was concerning - I weighed her yesterday and she’s lost half a kilo (she was only 4 to start!) so need to get her eating again.

We start foundation gun dog training tomorrow! Wish us luck…..no KC training near us at all

@Citygirlrurallife Good luck! Let us know how he gets on.

😬 I have no idea how it will go - I’ve been practising our other training out in the world when around other dogs he knows and on known walks and he probably listen to me 75% of the time which is a lot more than I thought he would, but this will be a whole new ball game! I’m excited though, I love doing this stuff with him and it’s so bonding

he’s become a lot more cuddly this week too, will come up on the sofa between us and lay his head on our laps - actually climbed into a chair with me the other day (there’s me saying the dog isn’t allowed on the furniture!!!)

@BigBundleOfFluff can you repost the sardine treat recipe?

Yes and a quick pic too of the end result. Tin of sardines, egg and a tablespoon of flour (really as little flour as possible, the mixture will be wet). Whizz together. Spatula into silicone mold - I already had a chocolate one and bake for 10 mins. Whole process takes 15mins.
Roll the mold up like a Swiss roll and the treats fall out.
My mold makes just shy of 400 of them. I do still get other good quality treats, for variety but they are so expensive - these are so cheap and make me feel reasonably competent.

Brilliant Thankyou - very similar to a liver recipe I do but is gross to make! Off to buy a silicone mould!

@BigBundleOfFluff i so badly went to get our creamy goldies together!!

@Citygirlrurallife oh absolutely! Come to Edinburgh - there are hundreds of golden retrievers here, a good Scottish dog!

And they are all as lovely as ours.

@Citygirlrurallife gorgeous pic! Lots of labs and retrievers around here too, by far the main breed we meet when out. They are all very lovely and gentle with Orangepup, lovely dogs.

However today Orangepup met a not so gentle dog and was attacked by this dog after the owner made a big fuss of Orangepup. Her dog was clearly jealous and went for Orangepup, had her on her back and was on top of her really going for her. Luckily it was a small dog and they were able to get her off, but Orangepup was quite shaken. I was worried it would make her scared of other dogs, as exactly the same thing happened to another dog of mine and she was quite changed afterwards. But we quickly found a very friendly cocker spaniel and lab and she was happy again playing with them. I don't think she was bitten but sometimes it's not very obvious.

These sound great - what temp do you do them in the oven?

Hope all goes well at the class @Citygirlrurallife - your puppy is beautiful! And about 10 times the size of mine

@Cocopuff I have an aga so the answer is "dealers choice"
I'd say 180. They are her bedtime snack treats or scatter on the floor treats to distract her.
Oh the original poster did also make them with a tin of premium dog food but I haven't tried that yet - I will though!
I did look at other dog biscuit recipes but they were heavily flour based and you had to cut them out in rounds etc, these ones are so easy, I promise!

I am a glutton for punishment…..

@Citygirlrurallife He/she is gorgeous, and yes, WHAT Were You Thinking?! Is that two different cats? They are cute, though.

Two different cats! Brother and sister pair, aged 5 months so I have incoming adolescent dog AND cats….never had so many pets in my life. Wish me luck with the introductions

also Haku was bloody brilliant at training

Wow - you’re brave @Citygirlrurallife! Hope Haku is adjusting to the new additions well.

Coco still on hunger strike here - I suspect it’s teething but who knows! She’s started grinding her teeth - does anyone else’s dog do that?